The internal conflict between the professional and ulama factions in PAS has reached a boiling point, threatening to fracture the party. While tensions have been simmering for years, it was the Selangor Menteri Besar crisis that finally thrust this struggle into the national spotlight– helped, of course, by a mass media eager to highlight the opposition’s internal discord.
So, the big question: Can Pakatan Rakyat survive this?
The influx of professionals into PAS transformed the party, making it more inclusive and less firebrand, allowing it to win seats in multicultural, multi-religious constituencies. This shift expanded PAS’s reach, but not everyone welcomed the change.
The party’s conservative base– those who still hold firmly to fundamentalist Islamic principles– saw this transformation as a betrayal of its original mission. The rift between the conservative camp and the (moderately) liberal professionals had long existed, but it exploded during the Selangor Menteri Besar debacle.
While a new Menteri Besar has been appointed, the crisis left deep scars within PAS. Internal debates rage on:
- Should PAS have stalled the appointment longer– given that it was Anwar Ibrahim’s Kajang Move that triggered the mess in the first place?
- Should they have worked more closely with their Pakatan allies to find a resolution, even though PAS wasn’t entirely responsible for the chaos?
No matter how they answer these questions, battle lines have been drawn. The conservative faction has rallied behind the Syura Council and party president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, while the liberals have aligned with the National Legal Bureau, the PAS Central Committee and the newly formed PasMa, a group consisting of PAS members dissatisfied with the party’s direction.
Personally, I respect PAS as a party with strong grassroots mobilization and organizational discipline. But this internal power struggle is troubling– it means PAS will waste energy fighting itself, just when the opposition should be focused on bigger battles.
If PAS retreats to its conservative roots, it will alienate its allies in PKR and DAP, jeopardizing its position in Pakatan Rakyat. This would push PAS back into the Malay heartlands, potentially reclaiming some rural voters who had swung to Barisan Nasional in the last election.
On the other hand, if the liberal wing prevails and PAS stays within Pakatan, it risks losing support in rural areas, especially as UMNO moves further right, painting PAS as an Islamic party that has “sold out”.
Either way, the outlook isn’t great for the opposition. With PAS divided, BN looks poised to reclaim some of its lost ground in the next general election.
For PAS, this isn’t just a battle for its future– it’s a defining moment that could determine the fate of Pakatan Rakyat itself.